Yukino POV
I've never ever seen his features filled with such worry.
I was shocked at how perplexed, how perturbed he looked.
His usual dead-fish eyes actually looked alive for once, alight with a passion never before seen. Not even when the club faced its worst crises did he show such a determination. He might not know it yet, but it was clear for all to see. He was extremely concerned for her. Those eyebags that sat beneath his eyes did not lie. He evidently had not gotten much sleep since that day.
The pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together.
Only the two of them would ever know what exactly had happened, but judging from Kawasaki's tear stricken face that day in the washroom, I could make my inferences. She was distraught, broken as if someone had ripped her heart out. Her cries still rang in my ears as I recall those events. I would not forget those soul-piercing shrieks anytime soon. I was at a loss as to how I would comfort her, but I couldn't ignore her. After all, we were the only ones in the restroom, and I was not going to abandon her. I could only stare as I awkwardly patted her back while she bawled her eyes out.
I felt a pain from within my chest, for that passion of his was not for me. It looks like the mission that Sensei had entrusted me with would soon come to an end. I'm supposed to be glad that I had completed Sensei's request, but I am unable to find myself being satisfied in any way. It looks like the only way out of this was to guide him to the treasure that I could not possess. At least someone would be happy at the end of all this. I could only hope that he would not remain stubborn in his ways.
Hachiman POV
I have no clue how to go about doing this. This isn't something I have dealt with before. Yet it keeps on bugging me, day after day, time and time again. I have lost all reason to interact with her, yet I still seek to see her. I yearn for her. What has she done to me? I'm quite sure what she feels for me, but… what about me? I had spent such a long time being an enigma to others, so much so that even my own feelings are now encrypted even to myself. Looks like there was only one way to solve this.
I have to ask her out, don't I?
The lunch bell finally rang, and the teacher released us from the clutches of lessons. It was a temporary respite, but a much welcome one. After all, I had decided to do something, and this was the moment to put my plan into action. I had thought long and hard about this, and it had cost me much of my precious sleep, but I couldn't let it slide any longer. Today was the day I was going to ask Kawasaki to hang out after school. Hang out. What am I, a riajuu now? It was all for the sake of deepening our friendship, nothing more. It was totally not because I no longer had a reason to interact with her. That was totally not the case at all. It totally isn't because I needed answers for myself, and for her sake.
Now, how do I go about actually doing it…
My observant eyes had noted that she had already left the classroom, and so I headed out towards the vending machine. If she wasn't there, she probably was at the rooftop. My highly accurate deduction skills proved to be extremely reliable once again.
There she was, crouched over the vending machine, retrieving her drink. Her long hair flowed down her back, drawing my glance downwards. Her tight dress hugged her behind, and my eyes were instinctively drawn towards it. After all, it left little to the imagination, and due to an unfortunate incident months ago, I already knew what lay beneath. Then again, I was reminded of it a couple of weeks ago. I forced myself to look away before my thoughts became too dangerous. Don't think about the black lace, don't think about the black lace… Oh snap. Coughing lightly to warm up my throat and clear my mind, I spoke up.
"Ka-Kawasaki, would you like to go out with me this afternoon, you know, as friends…" She turned around, visibly surprised, clutching her can of juice tightly as if it provided some comfort.
I missed her. After all, I haven't talked to her in ages, and that nagging feeling from Monday was still biting away at me. I knew that she had feelings towards me, but what exactly were mine for her? I still had no idea.
"Just the two of us?"
"Yes, who else?" I wasn't aware of any mutual friends we had, and I definitely was not about to invite Ebina or something.
"That's so unfair of you…" She uttered under her breath, barely audible in the crowded hallway. Unfair? Last week you sprung the biggest ambush of a lifetime on me… This doesn't even come close to that.
"So?" I urged, not wanting to spend more of my lunchtime awkwardly conversing in front of the vending machine. We were beginning to draw stares from the passing crowd.
"Yes. Yes, I would like to, but don't you have club to go to?" Her eyebrows raised in questioning.
Oh right. That existed. Not that I planned to go today. It looks like she paid more attention to my schedule than I did myself. My mind was currently clouded with way too many things anyway, and the main cause was standing right in front of me. I was momentarily stunned, but then thanks to my high spec brain I quickly recovered.
"We decided to take some time off, considering that it's the last week of the semester before the Christmas break, and no one has been giving us any requests recently. If they really need us we are still contactable through that email." That, obviously, was not the entire truth. I didn't even know if they got any requests in the past two weeks anyway… Not that it mattered, right? If they really needed me. They could always give me a call anyway.
"Let's go then." She then awkwardly shuffled past me and headed for the stairs. We were getting towards the depths of winter, isn't she going to freeze up there? I had my own lunch to deal with, plus now I had to figure out a way to throw Yuigahama off before she demanded I walk with her to the clubroom that I never planned on visiting today.
Then again, where did I plan to go today? I realised that I had not made any plans. I had asked Kawasaki out on impulse, and now that I have gotten so far, it dawned on me that I actually had no idea what it was I wanted to do. How does one hang out as friends anyway? Like… I've never done anything like this before. Sure, I had observed more than my fair share of riajuus and their curious activities.
Furthermore, a certain president had dragged me along on more than one of those affairs that she insisted were "practice dates", although it was more like being an unwilling accomplice to her embezzlement of school funds. I could only hope that I would be able to maintain my innocence if and when anyone else found out about it. For once, I would be able to put it to good use… but what experiences I garnered from there were only applicable to dates right? And I definitely was not going on one with Kawasaki… definitely not.
The bell that dismissed us finally rang, and I once again exhibited the well-rehearsed routine of stuffing my items into my bag. It was a speed gained through repetition. I wondered if I was approaching the ten thousand hour mark of "deliberate practice". I was going to disappear before Yuigahama realised, and I was definitely not going to wait for Kawasaki in class. That would be loner suicide. Given the number of stares that we have been getting lately… That was definitely not the right choice. I decided to make my way towards the bike stand. Much like the past.
The relatively calm weather over the past few days had given way to strengthening winds. We were, after all, heading towards what was supposed to be the coldest part of winter, if you ignored that recent snowstorm. That snowstorm and the events that happened were etched deeply into my mind. I found myself revisiting those memories once more. The smooth, warm sensation of someone holding me tightly. It gave off a feeling that I could not describe. I could only say that it was pleasant.
"Hey, Hikigaya." Kawasaki waved her hands in my face, violently bringing me back to the present time. Directly looking at the source of that warmth, I felt some on my cheeks.
"Y-Yo." I respond, still slightly shaken (not stirred) from my rude awakening.
"So, where are we going?" Kawasaki asked as she began to free her bicycle from the chains that restrained them.
Where did I want to go? I had no clue. Drawing on the small reserve of knowledge I have from the "dates" that someone had dragged me along on, I remembered that eating would be a good way to start. She would always choose some café, but that was because we were doing "research." Remembering that my wallet is still recovering from the tragedy that was the snowstorm, I decided to propose the most logical option. Saize. Cheap and good. No way Kawasaki would reject it right? I mean, as far as I know, she didn't seem like the type who would abandon logic in the face of fancy, pompous looking cafés. I mean, it's not as if we are on a date right?
"How about Saize?" I enquired.
"Sure. Let's go." she replied as she began to lock her bicycle. I was confused, until she turned around and said, "Surely you don't think we are going to go all the way there in our bicycles right?"
Ahh... right. It was a few train stations away from central Chiba. For some reason, my high-spec brain was not fully functional. It must be the cold. Yes, the weather is to blame. Totally. Doing the same to my trusted steed, we then proceeded out of the gates. The area around the school was filled with members of the ever popular Go Home Club. How envious I was of them. My observation skills had been honed over the years, and typically no one gave a damn when I was going home. This time, however, I felt countless pairs of eyes looking in my direction, and at her, as if we were doing something suspicious. What, even I can have friends. Who are these people to judge me anyway? It seemed that I had lost my passive ability to blend in with the crowd overnight. Maybe it only covered one person, and I needed to get a buff. Where's an invisibility cloak when you need one?
While I didn't really pay them much attention, Kawasaki evidently noticed the stares as well, and she began to use those long, slender legs of hers to stride away, and I was struggling to keep up. Was she… embarrassed?
While a guy and a girl walking home together did raise some questions, most of the time it was platonic.
After a couple of minutes of impromptu exercise, we finally arrived at the train station. Luckily for me, the weather was cooling, and I did not sweat as much. Sure, I wasn't the fittest high school student around, but I sure disliked having to exert extra effort unnecessarily. Efficiency is key.
Thankfully, the trains were not very crowded at this hour. The corporate slaves who made up most of the traffic were still tied to their desks. This meant that there was more than sufficient space for us to stand. No chance for any of those cliched rom-com situations that would occur in a crowded train. We stood at a safe distance apart, and I grabbed on to the poles like any other considerate passenger. There wasn't going to be anyone falling on someone else today.
I cast a sidelong glance at Kawasaki to ensure that she did the same. Kawasaki had remained silent throughout the whole walk, and as she wrapped her hands around the dangling handles, I noticed that she had managed to mend her gloves, and her repairs were quite skilful. Unsurprisingly, of course, given her contribution to the play that our class had done months ago, the play that I thankfully was able to escape from. I shuddered at the thought of having to act out those extremely questionable scenes with Hayama. Someone should really put a leash on Ebina's fantasies. It was scary how a random author could come up with pairings that didn't make sense in real life, honestly.
That was an incredibly awkward train ride, even for us loners who seek and embrace the silence. We finally arrived at my safe haven, Saizeriya. Chiba's very own restaurant chain which has spread its wings across the globe, bringing with it cheap, good food. Maybe I should work for Saize's marketing in the future. That seems like a viable option. I'll probably get free meals too. I'm not going to say no to free food. Anyone who does that is stupid.
Stepping into what was extremely familiar territory, we were assigned a table of two and we sat down. I flipped through the menu that I found more familiar than some of my textbooks and began to choose what I wanted to eat. At this point, flipping through the menu was more for show rather than for its actual purpose. I love Saize. I can regurgitate the entire menu without a hitch. I'm not sure if I would consider it as part of my 108 skills, but it's something.
Having decided on the Carbonara, I put my menu down and waited for her. She was staring attentively at each page of the menu as if making an important life choice. Come on, it's just food, what's so difficult? All the food served here is great tasting and cheap, so all of them are good choices. After a while, it looked like she had narrowed it down to two choices, but she was having a difficult time deciding. I decided to hasten the process. After all, the smell of the food wafting over from adjacent tables were beginning to whet my appetite. The smell of cheese and clams were ruined by the slight touch of tomatoes. Nevertheless, my stomach was beginning to complain about its empty state. It was begging to be filled. I leaned over to look at what options she was considering.
It was a mistake. The smell of delicious Italian food was replaced by the delightful smell of Kawasaki. I was close. Dangerously close. She still smelled of lavender. Much like that cold day we spent on my bicycle. That felt like it was such a long time ago. Distracted by my head peering over her menu, she looked up at me, and our eyes met. She was looking at me unabashedly, and I found myself being drawn into those beautiful eyes of hers. If she was dangerously close before, she was now life threateningly close. I could feel her warm breath on my lips, and her breathing was rising in frequency. Wait… if I could feel her breath, what about mine? I closed my eyes and shook my head to remove those scary thoughts from my head. I did not need my mind to wander where it did not need to. Closing my eyes also released me from the entrancing spell that was her eyes. Some sense finally returned to me, as I reluctantly pulled away. It was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid looking at her. On her part, her eyes were hell bent on darting away whenever mine came close to glancing in her direction.
I began to scratch my cheek as I looked away. It felt surprisingly warm. Silence reigned over the table for what felt like forever, as I gradually got back to normal. Realising I had to break the impasse, I spoke up after clearing my throat.
"So… which dishes are you deciding between?" It was taking a while, and I was getting hungry.
"I want the Milano Doria, but some of the sides look good too…" Her voice trailed off as she hid her face behind the menu. Ahh yes, the Milano Doria. It was my weapon of choice to smash a certain snake's face into, but it was the piercing stare of the girl in front of me that prevented Taishi from meeting his deserved fate many months ago, in this very restaurant.
"We can share the sides you know?" I reminded her. All this waiting and what not was definitely helping my appetite. Not giving her a chance to hesitate, I sounded the bell to summon the waitress over.
My tactic worked, as we ordered without a hitch. Looks like taking the initiative does help matters after all. It seemed that talking to someone else instead of me had helped her to regain her composure. Normal colour had returned to her cheeks, and her ample chest was no longer heaving as rapidly as it was moments ago.
Now began the awkward moment that existed while we waited for our food to arrive. Normally someone would fill the void with noise, but the both of us were not suited to that role. Which was why I found spending time with her pleasant anyway… Wait. What did I just say?
No way… Now I needed something to distract myself from those thoughts, and her beautiful face. The menus have been stowed away, the table was empty and we had gotten our drinks…
I winced a bit as I opened my mouth reluctantly. "It's been a while since we've been here, haven't we?" Now that was a typical line to open a conversation. I've learned enough from observing riajuus and their methods to fill the emptiness with noise. After all, Yuigahama definitely did demonstrate this ability of hers multiple times a day.
It was true, the last time we came here was when the irritating snake managed to trick my poor Komachi to wait for us here after school, and his scheming motive was to find out more about Sobu High, and more specifically if there were any pretty girls here. My response was to encourage him to give up on such pursuits. Looking back, I think I should have tried to tempt him with fabricated tales of the pretty girls of Sobu. That way he might finally let my dear Komachi off from his venomous fangs.
"Yea... It has been…" Her eyes wandered off into the distance, seemingly recollecting the memories that I had just recalled. Now that we were free of any other distractions, I found myself entranced by her features. Unfortunately, I was soon interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing at the entrance, signalling the impending arrival of someone that I had become way too familiar with recently.
"Ahhh, Hikigaya-kun, it really is you~" The fake, pretentious voice belonged to none other than Yukinoshita Haruno. I rolled my eyes instinctively. Just my luck. I should have known. After all, our seats were alongside the window facing the street, visible to all who walked past. I groaned internally as I turned to face her. I have her the most mundane expression I could muster.
"Yo." I gave her my curt greeting, as usual. Let's get this out of the way, shall we? It was now that I was thankful for the waiter who guided us to these seats. After all, there was only enough space for two… but then again if he didn't give us this table in the first place, Haruno wouldn't have spotted us… Damned if he did, damned if he didn't.
"Sneaking away from club to have a date with another girl… how ungentlemanly. Aren't you afraid of Yukino-chan finding out?" I thought that the Yukinoshitas were cultured beings? What happened to that? Evidently, Haruno had forgotten these lessons on basic courtesy.
This interruption was definitely not welcome.
"It's not a date." It wasn't. It was merely two friends hanging out. Evidently, it didn't look like that to her.
"Who is this anyway, some random girl you picked off the streets? I thought you had a better taste you know…" Haruno-san leaned in as she whispered those last few words, her menace barely hidden. She darted her eyes across the table and looked at Kawasaki as if she was evaluating a piece of trash. Her rich smelling perfume was overwhelming, and I was repulsed. Objectively it should have smelled good, but then my nose had been pampered with something much better recently. She sounded like she was referring to a piece of scum, an undesirable even. She tended to do that to anyone in my grade that wasn't her precious younger sister. I saw right through her anyway. I felt a rage rising up from within my chest. She didn't even know her. What right did she have to say such things?
Taking a deep breath and attempting to expel any thoughts of violence out along with my breath, I said, "Why don't you introduce yourself first? This is Kawasaki Saki, my classmate… and a friend of mine." I gestured my hand across the table towards a Kawasaki who was getting evidently annoyed at the intrusion.
"Ahh, Saki-chan! Nice to meet you. I'm Yukinoshita Haruno. I'm also an alumni of your school! In fact, Shizu-chan used to be my teacher as well… I'm sure you have seen my younger sister around right?" Haruno fell back to her pretentious tone that tricked everyone but me. On her part, Kawasaki was looking visibly annoyed, and she did not bother to hide it. In fact, it looked like she was making it as visible as she could.
"Yes, I have. I have Hikigaya here to thank for that, in more ways than one." She gave a terse reply, long enough to answer her question without being rude, but short enough that the message was clear. Piss off. Her scary eyes were boring into Haruno's. They were back! Those eyes that tried to kill me when I came close to strangling that snake brother of hers… I'm glad that they weren't targeted at me this time.
Thankfully, Haruno seems to have gotten the message, as she retreated from her and once again turned her attention to me. I was amazed. It was rare to see someone who dared stand up to her. Even I dared not make eye contact at times. She was a scary woman.
"As I said before, having an affair isn't admirable you know…" I stared at her wordlessly, not bothering to waste my breath.
"Anyway, enjoy your time together~ I shan't interrupt you two lovebirds no more..." She said dreamily as she drifted towards the exit. I was… until you came in, and what was that about lovebirds? Did I not tell you moments ago we were friends? Sure, she does see me that way, but as for my own feelings… That wasn't important at the moment. The fact that the mood had been soured was.
My eyes drilled into her back as she left the restaurant, blended into the crowds and disappeared without a trace. If only she could disappear without a trace from this world.
"Enjoy your time…" I mimic her dreamy voice as best I could before I went in for the kill.
"Freaking bitch," came the response from across the table.
She stole the words right out of my mouth. I chuckled heartily, for the first time in a while, but I was interrupted by her.
"I hate people like that, you know? Walking in and out as she pleases, not giving a damn about anyone… They flaunt their connections and act pretentiously. All because they come from a better background that they themselves did nothing to achieve it?" Kawasaki's eyes lit up with rage, beyond a level I was used to. I mean, the feeble eyes of a brocon were nothing to fear about, but this was… different. Passionate even. I liked it.
"Did you…" I interject, wanting to confirm my suspicions.
"I heard everything. She wasn't even trying to hide it." That explains it. Even I was enraged. Not surprising that the one targeted felt the same.
"What do they do with their time anyway, walking around town teasing random people they meet? Living such a carefree life without much worries… but wasting it on such trivial things." Was that… jealousy? I guess everyone has those feelings, to different extents. Not me though. I'm never jealous of riajuus and how they form couples and do questionable things in public. I'm not Sensei after all. Not yet anyway. Maybe I'll reach that stage in a couple more years. Or maybe I can be one of those people I read about on the news from time to time, people who decide 2D Vocaloids can be their wives. Who knows?
"Life is never fair. It just isn't. That's just the cruel reality. Even if it is we would still find something to complain about anyway. I mean, just do whatever you can to get to where you want to. Trying to get to something which is unattainable is pointless. We should just focus on what is in front of us. Focus on what you can change, and ignore those that you cannot change. I mean.. I'm sure you are doing a pretty good job of that back home. You know, trying to help your siblings as much as you can?"
That would definitely cheer up the lifelong brocon. I mean, even her parents were full of praise for her, and her affection for her younger siblings was plain for all to see. That was the only reason why Taishi is still breathing, honestly. She might have some grudges that she had to be the one in this role, but I don't think she hates it at all. It would be great if someone else could take care of her though. I gave her a slight smile to cheer her up. Saizeriya was a great place to eat and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, not to sulk and pout about the things that mere mortals like us could never fix about life in general.
"Yea, thanks I guess… W-we should just focus on what is in front of us… S-Sure..." Kawasaki seemed to be internalising what I said quite well. I guess she was one of those with an aural learning style.
As if on cue, a waitress arrived and served us our delicious food. I got my pasta, she got her Doria, and here came the side. It looks like her choice was escargot. Personally, I rarely got it, as the portion was a little too much for me. It's not bad. After all, it has been a while since I've had some.
"Is this okay?" She asked meekly, the rage that previously filled her eyes when she ranted about the unjust, cruel world we live in were now filled with something… tender. I preferred this look. At least I felt that I wasn't under any mortal danger, and this expression of hers...
"Yes, it is, I haven't had it in a while anyway."
"Neither have I… When I come with my family Kei-chan always gets her chicken wings, then I can't order any other sides." Of course. She would always let the needs and wants of her younger siblings take priority over her own. She didn't mind sacrificing her own desires for theirs. How caring. Sure.. she didn't mind sacrificing herself, but at what cost? Even if those around her recognised her efforts, that did not return her the opportunities that she had lost. It was such a thankless job. One that I found oddly familiar.
"Let's eat then, before it gets cold."
The rest of the meal went on without a hitch under a familiar silence. At least till the very end. You see, the problem I have with the escargots are that they are a little too rich for my liking. I could only handle two of them before the grease got to me. There were six of them on the plate, and Kawasaki had taken her fair share. I implored her to take the last one, but she refused, insisting that we agreed to split it. It was a foolish argument over nothing much, really. I for one, never really cared about social rituals like these. So I decided to be swift and decisive. Scooping up the last escargot, I unceremoniously dumped it on her plate. Ha. Your move now. It was a well rehearsed and executed move, one that I had done many times on Komachi whenever there was something left on the dinner table that none of us wanted to eat.
It wasn't the fairest of ways to get someone else to eat it, but I never fought fair anyway, and as I've just discussed, the world isn't fair, so why bother trying to fight fair?
"Just take it." I insisted, she wasn't going to resist anymore right? It was already on her plate after all.
"But you just… with your spoon…" She looked hesitant, almost as if she was doubting herself.
"Yes, I gave it to you with my spoon, so just eat it? You rarely get a chance to eat it anyway, right?" I gestured with my hands for her to well, carry on. Hand gestures? What, am I now Tamanawa's assistant? If that's the case, we would need to come up with an ACTION PLAN to ensure the SMOOTH CONDUCT of this hangout session… Speaking of which, I still had no idea where to go after this. However, I do have an idea on how to deal with this.
"So, Kawasaki, where do you want to go after this?" One of my important survival skills. Making my problem someone else's problem. That way I don't have to deal with it! How smart was that? It looks like I was going down the wrong path and raising the wrong flags. I should really spend less time with a certain scheming kouhai of mine. But then again… she did ask me to take responsibility… I think she should take responsibility for corrupting me instead.
A single sentence of mine was sufficient to let her go deep in thought. While I was more than willing to stare at her looking into the distance, I don't think the staff would have been very happy at all. I mean, I probed her a little bit more as I called for the bill.
"Anywhere that you haven't been to in a while? Maybe the arcade or something."
Her eyes lit up as I said that. Maybe she had recalled something pleasant.
"The arcade." She nodded silently, as if to convince herself that it was the right choice. I found myself looking at her ponytail which bobbled with every movement of her head.
I guess it was the kind of place that you visited often while you were young, but the older you got the more you didn't fit in. Plus, going alone to the arcade was kinda weird. Nothing wrong with that, but your options were limited. After all, the machines nowadays were increasingly designed to cater to riajuus and their wolfpacks.
The kind waitress walked over with the bill, and I promptly paid it with two thousand yen notes. I should get quite a bit of change back, such was the budget-friendly nature of Saizeriya that I've come to know and love. Of course, I paid for her. It was one of the few things I learnt from those "practice" dates that I've been burning my weekends for. I say few because I'm already a high-spec gentleman and I and had little left to learn. That's the truth. Now, to quell the inevitable protests from Kawasaki. For some reason, our societal expectations mean that one is expected to try to foot his or her share of the bill as well, even though the other party is willing to treat. It's counter-intuitive. Why would you say no to a free lunch? One that is kindly offered to you by someone else? The world is truly a weird place.
"Th… Thanks." came her reply, as she swept her hair behind her ears. Stop looking at me with those eyes! She looked surprisingly cute when she did that. I'm beginning to feel weird inside… What was she doing to me?
Wait, what? Wasn't she going to fight over the bill or something? For some reason, I still felt that there was an obligation to explain my actions. No, I was not going to boast about my high specs. That was plain for all to see, and I was a humble gentleman anyway. It was, in fact, because I felt slightly guilty for dragging her out like that. She probably had better things to do than getting pissed off while eating at Saizeriya.
"Shall we?" Her words broke me out of my daze. I could only muster a nod as we began to leave the premises. What was I thinking about again? Before I could muster my brain to recall what it was, the sliding door opened and I was met with a blast of the cold, winter air that was the outside. While the sun was evidently trying its best to warm the earth, it was evidently fighting a losing battle today. Luckily, the arcade was nearby, and it did not take us long to arrive there. More importantly, it was well heated.
The biting winds of winter were soon forgotten as we were deafened by the sound of the arcade machines. This was one of the largest arcades in the Chiba area. Its glass doors slid open as we approached, and the warmth embraced us from within.
Looking at the plethora of games available, I was drawn in by the claw machines. They were, after all, my domain of expertise. I've managed to master the machine since my days in middle school. It was totally not because I had spent countless afternoons wiling away training here after school since no one ever invited me out and my parents were unwilling to buy me my precious Vita-chan.
However, before I could make my move and exhibit my hard earned prowess, Kawasaki had drifted towards one of those shooting game booths. Personally, I was never a fan of those. It involved way too much physical effort for a game, and the lack of someone to play co-op mode with was an immense obstacle to fully enjoying the gameplay. Damn these riajuu oriented design philosophies.
Not wanting to be a wet blanket, I decided to tag along. It was totally not because I could finally try the co-op mode for once. She fetched some coins from her purse and began to feed the machine. Its screen lit up in anticipation and Kawasaki handed me one of those fake plastic guns.
A semblance of a tiny smile graced her lips as I took the gun from her, only to be replaced by a more stern, serious expression as she turned to face the screen. It gave me a slight sense of uneasiness. Surely she wasn't some closet expert, right? I pride myself in being rather capable at such games. I mean, up till recently, a huge bulk of my free time was focused on either playing games or reading anyway. What a great life I lead.
The way she held the gun did imply that she was a skilled marksman. Although the co-op mode was meant to foster cooperation between the two players, the fact that each player had individual scoreboards only served to further increase competition among the supposed brothers in arms.
I lost. Miserably. I looked down in shame and away from the screen that beamed the fact that I had a quarter of her score. The sound of every prize ticket being spat out from the machine only further served to drive that fact home. I don't think she even missed a single shot. In another universe, she would have been an excellent hitman. It was as if she was the incarnate of Sniper Wolf. Unlike most games, there was no sneaky, scheming way to achieve victory. I was beaten fair and square. This is why fair fights are for suckers. As I was beginning to slip into an existential crisis while reflecting on all the time I have wasted on games, I was interrupted by a chuckling Kawasaki. It was as if she was adding insult to injury.
Sensing my pervasive sense of defeat and doom, she said, "I used to play this game quite often. Taishi used to drag me here regularly during our middle school days and eventually I got pretty good at this."
Ah. So it was Taishi's fault. Again. One day. One fine day, that incorrigible snake will meet his timely fate, and I would be the one who sent him on this way. He needs to watch out. I'm just slowly biding my time, waiting for that perfect moment to strike…
I was still discontented. Seeing that my disgruntled expression was still written all over my face, she once again brought her hand to her mouth and let out a light, hearty chuckle. Hey, don't cover half of your face, I was looking at it… It looked like she was genuinely enjoying this. What have I brought upon myself? It was I that suggested this place, and it was I who got utterly destroyed.
The competitive spirit within me had been awoken. I felt that I had to get even, to get back at her. It was the kind of illogical emotion that inevitably arose when one came to the arcades with someone else.
I recalled the path to my salvation. It lay right at the entrance of the arcade. My eyes glimmered as I glanced over at the row of claw machines. To the untrained eye, it looked like I was merely looking over at the machines, but in actual fact, I was scanning for the one that had the best chance of success. My high-spec eyes spotted the machine I was looking for. One that was not so fully packed with toys that they wouldn't budge, and it had one of the larger toys laying on its side. Exactly what I was looking for.
Feeling somewhat confident, I stood up with pride and turned towards Kawasaki, laying down my challenge. Gesturing over to the claw machines, I said, "Round two?"
Now, this was what I was truly best at.
There was a little trick I've seen and subsequently mastered on these vicious claw machines. Instead of going for the head as most sensible people would do, I have perfected the art of hooking the merchandise tag with the claw. That way, no matter how weak the claws were, the hook would still cling on to the toy. It didn't matter.
Sliding my coins into the slots, I gained control over the all powerful claws of doom. Skilfully maneuvering it into position, I was about to launch the claw downwards when I was interrupted by Kawasaki.
"Isn't it slightly too far to the right? Or are you not going for the bear at all…"
Watch and learn, my girl, watch and learn.
I watched gleefully as one of the claws sank its fang into that non descript tag, and managed to hook it up. I was slightly out of touch, but I was definitely in my element. Did I mention I never fought fairly?
I smashed down the button that would send the claws downward and that soft toy to us. She let out a shriek of surprise as the claw managed to snag the tag. All was proceeding according to keikaku. I watched with pride as the bear now made its way towards the corner and got released from the clutches of the claw, where it fell out of the machine. Calculated.
Taking the rather large Rilakkuma [1] from the machine, I realised that I didn't really need this. I have had a significant collection from my middle school days, and a large majority of those were now gracing Komachi's room.
Looking over at the Kawasaki who was still visibly amazed, I had an idea.
"Here you go," I said as I thrusted the bear towards her.
"F... For me?" She had become flustered, and her cheeks were becoming red. An awkward silence was beginning to sprout.
"Yea… I think it would look good in your room anyway. It's a bit sparse, isn't it?" I nodded in confirmation. And that was true. Her room was a bit sparse… and I definitely would not tell her that it was because I had way too many at home, and my parents had forbidden me from bringing back anymore. It would have made a decent Christmas present for Komachi though… Half-truths were the way to go. But then again this wasn't exactly a lie.
"My room looks a bit sparse…" She echoed as she looked at me forlornly.
Unfortunately, the silence continued. Don't look at me like that with those eyes, you are making me all flustered too! Thankfully she looked away before something even more dangerous could happen. Wait… why is her head still turning away?
She dashed off.
Wait, what?
She had made her way to the counter, and began to exchange those tokens from the shooting game for some… keychain? Seemingly satisfied with her selection, she returned to where she previously was. So she was the kind who felt the need to reciprocate. I guess it was the societal pressure of not wanting to feel like you owed someone a favour. But if she was really so concerned about that, she also would know she had owed me many favours from the past few weeks…
With something to give in exchange, she was finally willing to take the bear off my outstretched hands. In return, she placed a small keychain on my palm. A small Rilakkuma looked back at me as I glanced at my palm. It was the same design as the large plushie that I had won but in a much more practical size. That works, I guess. What do I even do with it though? Most people attached them to things like their pencil cases or something.
My parents had inculcated excellent morals in me since I was young. Furthermore, I was a high-spec gentleman. As such, I would need to show appreciation for any gift given to me, no matter the value. Not wanting to bother with opening up my bag for my pencil case, I simply attached it to the zipper on my bag. Fuss free. I am a lazy bastard after all. Satisfied with that arrangement, I looked up to see a Kawasaki discovering how soft the plushie was. Her arms crossed the bear, and she rested her chin on top of its head, partially obscuring her face. Her eyes were closed, unaware of her surroundings…
Unaware of how cute she looked. That is, until she opened those eyes of hers once more, and found mine looking right at her. We broke eye contact instinctively. I was feeling something weird within my chest once more, and the heated surroundings of the arcade were beginning to feel slightly too hot for comfort. I needed to cool down.
"Let's go," I said, heading for the exit. I couldn't stay here any longer.
And that was how, for the second time today, I had no idea where to go. At least I didn't feel that warm anymore. Judging from how red her cheeks were, it looked like Kawasaki felt the same.
Thankfully, this was Central Chiba, and options to wile away our time were aplenty. There was a bookstore across the street. How convenient. I needed to make a trip over to one anyway, given that, unlike a certain author from a certain series, the latest volume of the light novel series I was following actually did get released on time. Imagine leaving fans to wait for six months, delaying releases thrice, then announcing an indefinite delay due to "production issues". No established author would do that… right?
"Can we head over there for a moment? I have something to get."
"Hmm? Sure." Kawasaki was beginning to look a bit ridiculous with that huge Rilakkuma in tow. I was thinking about getting her a bag for it, but it looked like she was going to hug that thing all day long.
Picking up the latest volume detailing the adventures of Truck-kun's most recent victim, I decided to take a look around for anything else that might have caught my eye. Given my lack of proper reading time nowadays, I decided to walk over to the manga section. It was much easier to read those, and if I picked those episodic series, I did not need to re-read previous chapters if the author did not release anything for the past three months. That was definitely a good complement to my increasingly busy schedule.
Having walked one round the store, I haven't really found anything special, so I set about looking for the Kawasaki I had accidentally left behind. I found her scanning through a manga on one hand, while the bear was tucked under her other hand. I was amazed at how she didn't knock anything over in the narrow aisles of the store. On closer inspection, it looked like one of those shoujo manga series that middle school girls loved to read. Not Komachi, of course, for she had a normal life and had no need for such means of entertainment. However, I never thought Kawasaki was one of those. I didn't want to interrupt her, but it looked like she was getting way too engrossed.
"You getting that?"
"No, not really. I'm just looking through. I followed this series years ago and was quite surprised to see that it's still ongoing. Maybe the author decided to take long hiatuses after each volume."
"I never knew you were a fan of these kinda genres." I was still trying to conjure up an image of a middle school Kawasaki reading shoujo manga. Despite my brain's valiant efforts, I could not reconcile those two things.
"Well, I used to love it, but then eventually I realised that it's all so unrealistic, the first guy or girl the main character meets will almost always be the one chosen in the end, it just comes naturally. Un...Unlike real life you know, where you might not get what you want, even if you fight hard for it. Also, real life responsibilities became a thing, and I never had much time to devote to such things anymore… What did you want to get? It must have been something good, seeing that you rushed out of the arcade so quickly…"
I turned the book's cover to face her.
"Isekai, really? One of the top ranking students in Japanese develops his language ability by reading trashy isekais?" Kawasaki teased, a smile forming at the corner of her lips.
"Light novels are the epitome of modern Japanese culture, and the isekai trend is merely a manifestation of that… Furthermore, novels from such genres tend to have simpler language, and I would rather read something more easy going, rather than some overly pretentious monologues by a high school student who thinks he knows it all. Furthermore, these series tend to suffer less from random 'production issues' that forces fans to wait even longer for an already dragged out series. I'm not going to wait one year for one measly volume, like do they think readers have the patience of gods? My youth is way too short to waste it by wasting brain capacity and feelings on such series, you know?"
Kawasaki began to chortle loudly, garnering stares from other patrons nearby. It looks like I had gone too far this time, and got self absorbed into launching an angsty rant. Damn you, Kawasaki, how could you do this to me?
Between fits of laughter, she managed to make a semblance of a sentence. "I… have never… seen you… so passionate… about anything… Like you were so serious! I was joking, you know?"
At least it looked like one of us was enjoying our time, but it wasn't me. This whole thing was starting to look like a bad idea on my part. After attracting the attention of what seemed like half of Chiba, I quickly proceeded to the cashier so that we could leave the store. While I normally do not care about other people's perception of me, this was a whole new level. All I wanted was to get a light novel, not get stared at as if I had committed some heinous crime.
Once more we banished ourselves from the warmth and comfort of the heated shops, only to face the brutal cold outside. Kawasaki was still hugging the bear as if it gave her warmth. I had no such privilege.
Since I had dragged her to somewhere I wanted to go for purely selfish reasons, I decided to ask her if she had anywhere she needed to go.
She glanced at her phone to check the time, but it looked like she had received a message.
"I need to go to the supermarket to get some ingredients for dinner, but now it seems that I have to pick up Keika as well." She said with a slight frown, her dampened mood in sharp contrast to her previous self.
"I'll go with you then, I mean, how are you going to shop with that thing in your arms? That was my fault anyway." Poor Rilakkuma had nowhere to go, for he was way too huge to be safely stowed anywhere, but in her arms.
"Are you sure? It's quite the journey you know…"
"Yea, it's my fault you don't have your bike with you anyway, and we live quite close." Not close enough on that day though, for that snowstorm opened an extremely potent Pandora's box that had yet to be shut, or totally dealt with.
That was a generous offer on my end, but my body was already complaining. Just how much food does the Kawasaki household consume? It must be Taishi who is eating most of it, that useless parasite of a brother. He can't even cook without setting the house on fire, but was able to consume so much food? This just added to an already enormous list of reasons why he must and will be quarantined from my precious Komachi.
I was on the verge of regretting the offer, but a true gentleman never goes back on his words. Unfortunately, this was not the first time I had done such things for a girl. However, this wasn't the one puny bag that Isshiki has when she drags me along to meetings with that dude from Kaihin. This was hard mode, no, this was nightmare mode. At least we were getting to the nursery where Keika was at. It meant that we would soon be homebound.
The doors to the nursery slid open and revealed an energetic Keika.
"Ha-chan, Ha-chan!" Keika wailed excitedly as she dashed over to us.
I knelt down and rustled her azure hair. It seems like the genes of beautiful blue hair ran deep within their family.
I looked up and found myself staring into the eyes of the demon itself. Was she... jealous? Keika gave off a satisfied giggle and gave me one of the brightest smiles to ever grace this earth. Even my younger sister can't be this cute.
Kawasaki's features relaxed and she no longer tried to kill me with her looks. That was to be expected, for I was the greatest siscon to ever roam this earth. Fear me, Kawasaki, for no one can outshine me in this respect.
With Kawasaki's hands freed due to my role as a pack mule, she led Keika away as we began the journey home.
[1]: Cute stuffed bear character of Japanese origin. (Just look it up.) Unlike Watari, I do not need to invent stuff toy designs to avoid copyright lawsuits.
A/N: Apologies for the long, long hiatus. Irl stuff, motivation and other priorities hampered my ability to finish this chapter. I sincerely hope that the next chapter would not be too long a wait for you guys... Thanks to Brietard and SouBU for the beta, and all of you for your infinite patience :) It's been awhile since I wrote, so feedback is appreciated. I'm not going to make any promises for the ETA of the next chap, but I don't think it will take as long as this one. It is likely that the next chap will be the last. I hope to see you soon.
Katyusha.